Children's Health: Post-Concussion Tips

Learn how to keep your child safe after a head injury

Sports aren't the only activity your child should take a break from post-concussion. He also needs "cognitive rest," say new guidelines in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. That means skipping things that require a lot of thinking and/or hand-eye coordination, such as schoolwork, video games and even text messaging. Other recommendations:

• No child athlete should ever return to play on the same day of a head injury, even if he seems fine.

• Make sure kids are completely symptom-free (not a drop of head pain or unusual fatigue, for example) before they go back to normal activities. Concussions in children can take a month or two to fully heal. Get a thorough exam from a doctor before resuming a regular schedule.